Rivers 2015: Ogoni fault minister on zoning

PORT HARCOURT—The Ogoni of Rivers State, under the aegis Gokana Progressive Union, have faulted recent comments credited to Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike and Felix Obuah, Chairman of Rivers’ People’s Democratic Party, PDP, that zoning would be inconsequential on who becomes governor of the state in 2015.

Mr. Christian Giami, former House of Representatives aspirant in the area, who leads the group, including politicians across Rivers South-East Senatorial District, said that zoning had been a tradition in PDP, which the duo of Wike and Obuah cannot overrule by fiat.

Giami, who spoke in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said politicians from Rivers South-East Senatorial District condemn in its entirety the comments credited to the duo.

He said: “The party has kept to its zoning arrangements from the national to the ward levels since 1999 and it would be out of place for anybody to move against the rules and norms of the party now.

“We are calling for caution to avoid confusion in the system.

“Rivers South-East has paid its dues by lending unflinching support to other zones to produce governors in the state since 1999.

“It is time for all Rivers to support us. No power or conspiracy can stop the zone from producing the next state chief executive come 2015.”